One of the teenagers who escaped from Islamic extremists who abducted more than 300 schoolgirls says the kidnapping was “too terrifying for words,” and she is now scared to go back to school. Sarah Lawan, a 19-year-old student, spoke on May 11 as Nigerians prayed for the safety of the 276 students still held captive.
Lawan said that more of the girls could have escaped, but that they were frightened by their captors’ threats to shoot them. She spoke in the local Hausa language in a phone interview from Chibok, her home and the site of the mass abduction in northeast Nigeria. The failure to rescue those who remain captive five weeks later has attracted mounting national and international outrage. In early May, Nigeria was forced to accept international help in the search, after ignoring offers for weeks.
“I am pained that my other colleagues could not summon the courage to run away with me,” Lawan said. “Now I cry each time I come across their parents and see how they weep when they see me.” Police say 53 students have escaped. Nigeria’s homegrown Boko Haram terrorist network is threatening to sell those who remain in captivity into slavery.
(AP)
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透社
從挾持逾三百名女學生的伊斯蘭極端份子手中脫逃的一名少女說,這起綁架案「可怕到言詞無法形容」,她現在已經不敢回學校。十九歲學生莎拉.拉萬五月十一日在奈國人民為仍被擄的兩百七十六名學生的安全禱告之際做此表示。
拉萬說,原本有更多女孩可以脫逃,但她們害怕綁匪的射殺威脅。她從住家所在、也是這起大規模綁架案發生處的奈國東北部的奇博克,以當地的豪薩語接受電話訪問。這起發生五週後仍未能救出人質的事件,已引發國內外越來越大的憤怒。在數週來漠視國際協尋的建議後,奈及利亞五月初被迫接受國際協助。
「我對於其他同伴不能鼓起勇氣與我一起逃跑感到痛苦,」拉萬說。「現在,每回碰到她們的父母、目睹他們看到我而落淚,我就忍不住哭泣。」警方說,已有五十三名學生脫逃。奈國本土的「博科聖地」恐怖網絡威脅將把肉票賣為奴隸。
(美聯社/翻譯:魏國金)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be